Page 63 of Matthew
More careful.
More dangerous.
He refocused on Carter. “You dig up anything on Ellis yet?”
Carter didn’t look up from his tablet. “Still working it. That guy’s records are Swiss cheese—clean on the surface, with weird gaps in all the right places.”
Matthew frowned. “Too clean?”
“Exactly. My guess? He’s either really careful, or someone inside was using his business to traffic this shit, and he’s clueless.”
For Callie’s sake, he hoped it was the latter. A lot easier to feel sorry for someone she’d known for decades than to deal with betrayal from a close acquaintance.
Been there, faced that. And he’d never wish that on anyone, especially not her.
The door to the hall creaked open at the far end of the bay. Mac stepped inside, all squared shoulders and unreadable expression, a file tucked under one arm. He gave the bags of Herbal Bliss a long look before zeroing in on Carter.
“So, I take it this isn’t Miracle-Gro.”
Carter shook his head. “HPC, linked to Vantage Gulf Holdings, tied to one of Duke Carver’s old development firms.”
Mac’s jaw flexed once. He took the folder from Carter’s outstretched hand and flipped it open. A long silence followed as he scanned the details, flipping between the printout and the tablet Carter had propped nearby.
Caspian leaned closer. “We have anything else?”
“Footage from the last few drops is already logged,” Carter said. “One decent shot of the guy who dropped this. Plates were clean. No priors. No ID yet. I’ve got it flagged across our channels, but if he’s hired muscle, he won’t be in the system.”
“Nursery’s still under shadow,” Bennett added, arms crossed. “If they circle back, we’ll catch it.”
Mac nodded once, his focus remaining on the folder. “Keep that line tight. No outside chatter. If another drop happens—anywhere in Harland—I want eyes on it before they even pop the tailgate.”
He looked up at Matthew. “You’re staying close.”
Matthew met his gaze. “Wasn’t planning to do anything else.”
“She trusts you,” Mac said simply. “And that’s leverage we don’t waste. You’re our link on the ground. If anything changes in her deliveries, her vendors, hergut—you’ll be the first to know.”
Caspian didn’t bother hiding his grin. “Besides, you’re already embedded.”
Matthew didn’t react, other than to stare the guy down.
Mac closed the folder. “Good. Keep it quiet. Keep it local.” With that, their boss turned and left without another word, the door swinging shut behind him.
Silence settled briefly between the three men left behind.
Carter shifted his weight and muttered, “If they’re willing to test her, they’re willing to come back.”
Matthew’s voice was quiet. Steady. “That’ll be their mistake.”
He didn’t blink. Didn’t move. His fingers rested against the plastic seal of the bag, his jaw tight.
Because if they did come back, he’d be ready.
***
The sky was dark when Matthew finally slid behind the wheel of his truck, the dashboard clock glowing half past seven. He hadn’t meant to stay that long at ESI, but once the conversation had turned to logistics and monitoring schedules, it had taken on a life of its own.
He still half considered swinging back by the nursery to do a night check.
